The Warrwa language is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language which was formerly spoken in the Derby Region of Western Australia near Broome, Western Australia.[3][4] It may have been a dialect of Nyigina.[2] It was also known as Warrawai or Warwa.[5]
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | b | d | ɖ ⟨rd⟩ | ɟ ⟨j⟩ | k |
| Nasal | m | n | ɳ ⟨rn⟩ | ɲ ⟨ny⟩ | ŋ ⟨ng⟩ |
| Lateral | l | ɭ ⟨rl⟩ | ʎ ⟨ly⟩ | ||
| Tap | ɾ ⟨rr⟩ | ||||
| Approximant | w | ɻ ⟨r⟩ | j |
Vowels
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i | u |
| Low | a | |
- Vowel length is also contrastive.
- /i, u/ can have allophones of [e, o].[6]
Grammar
Warrwa employed a variety of word orders grammatically. Attributive adjectives and possessive adjectives preceded the nouns they modified.[6]
Notes
- ↑ map is indicative only.
References
